Dyslipidemia in seven Latin American cities: CARMELA study

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of dyslipidemia in the CARMELA study population.MethodsCARMELA was a cross-sectional study of cardiovascular risk conducted between September 2003 and August 2005 in adults (aged 25 to 64 years) living in Barquisimeto (n = 1,824), Bogotá (n = 1,511), Buenos Aires (n = 1,412), Lima (n = 1,628), Mexico City (n = 1,677), Quito (n = 1,620), and Santiago (n = 1,605). Dyslipidemia was defined as the presence of one or more of the following conditions: triglycerides ≥ 200 mg/dL, or total cholesterol (TC) ≥ 240 mg/dL, or HDL cholesterol < 40 mg/dL, or LDL cholesterol = not optimal, or currently taking antilipemic agents.ResultsPrevalence rates of dyslipidemia in men and women were: 75.5% (CI: 71.9–79.1) and 48.7% (CI: 45.4–51.9) in Barquisimeto; 70% (CI: 66.2–73.8) and 47.7% (CI: 43.9–51.5) in Bogotá; 50.4% (CI: 46.8–54.0) and 24.1% (CI: 21.0–27.2) in Buenos Aires; 73.1% (CI: 69.3–76.8) and 62.8% (CI: 59.2–66.5) in Lima; 62.5% (CI: 58.5–66.5) and 37.5% (CI: 33.5–41.6) in Mexico City; 52.2% (CI: 47.9–56.5) and 38.1% (CI: 34.5–41.7) in Quito; and, 50.8% (CI: 47.1–54.4) and 32.8% (CI: 29.3–36.3) in Santiago.ConclusionsDyslipidemia was disturbingly prevalent and varied across cities. The most frequent dyslipidemia was low HDL-C followed by high triglycerides. The high TC/HDL-C ratios and non-HDL-C levels suggest a high risk of cardiovascular disease.